Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A bed is an interesting object. It's something we can all relate to. Almost everybody has one-whether it's a mat on the floor or a California King- unless they are experiencing some pretty unusual conditions. Another interesting aspect about beds is that they typically reveal us in our most transparent and unpretentious moments. We can wear a lot of disguises out in the world. We can pretend to be someone we're really not at work, at the gym, at a party, at the supermarket, and even at church. But when we go to bed, all semblance of superficiality is stripped away, and we become the person we really are. Our beds represent the most personal and private part of our lives. And it's here, in this place where our true colors are revealed, that the Psalmist calls us to meditate or dwell upon the things of God-who He is and what He's done. Why here? Why on our bed? Because God wants us to acknowledge and invite Him into every aspect of our lives, especially the most personal and private places. Nothing should be off limits to Him. And if that makes us uncomfortable, it's a sure sign that something is "off" in our lives and needs adjusting. If we can't be close to God in the place where we are most real, are we really ever close to God at all? We need to see our beds, the place of rest and repose from the world, as a sanctuary where God is invited, and not a place where we retreat from Him.

Father, may we invite you into every corner of our existence, and may you be our meditation day and night.

The Book of Psalms begins with the word blessed, which is an apropos opening note in this scriptural symphony. One cannot walk away from the book without being blessed by the Lord in some form or fashion.

This first Psalm goes on to describe God's blessing as belonging to the man who doesn't mingle with the wicked but who frequently finds himself in "the Law of the Lord." Next, the Psalm paints one of the most powerful and poignant pictures in the entire Bible. It compares the man who reads the Scriptures with a tree that's planted on the banks of a free-flowing river:

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3 NKJV)

Just as a tree requires water in order to flourish and thrive, men and women need the Scriptures in order to enjoy fruitful and abundant lives. Trees were made to know water, and we were made to know God's Word. When either is deprived of their natural need, they fall way short of what they were intended to be and do. They whither and wilt, their branches become bare, they provide no shade for the weary, and have no fruit to offer others. But as they begin to drink their intended life-source, their roots become sturdy and secure. Their boughs and branches grow long and strong until...fruit!

The natural tree is truly a picture of the spiritual man. Our fruitfulness depends upon our being rooted in the Word.

My prayer:

Lord, help us in every possible way to be people who are permanently planted in your Scriptures, which is where we belong.

To "reign over" something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth, and he exercises his authority with loving care. When God delegated some of his authority to the human race, he expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill his charge. God was careful in how he made this earth. We must not be careless in how we take care of it.